This past month, I was happy to attend two Pow Wows I hadn't been to in years. I attended the Mattagami First Nation Pow Wow and the Matachewan First Nation...
I was happy to see my home community of Attawapiskat on the James Bay coast announce the opening of the new St Francis Xavier Parish Church on August 25....
Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) Chief Donny Morris has been awarded a Diamond Jubilee Medal.
The medal was presented by Kenora MPP Sarah Campbell during the KI homecoming event on Aug. 8.
Campbell called Morris a “true leader,” and said the medal was a “small vindication” for the efforts Morris and other members of KI put in to oppose mining on the First Nation’s traditional territory.
The coordinator of Ontario’s Ring of Fire Secretariat insists the province is committed to working with First Nations on establishing how the north will develop alongside the massive mining projects proposed for the Ring of Fire.
In an interview with Wawatay News, Christine Kaszycki emphasized that the provincial government is thinking of long-term infrastructure needs as it analyzes how best to develop the Ring of Fire.
Kaszycki said discussions between the province and First Nations on regional infrastructure planning will begin sometime in the next few months.
The new Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) executive council was rounded out in late afternoon voting for deputy chiefs, which saw one incumbent and two new faces elected.
Following the election of Harvey Yesno as new NAN Grand Chief, Les Loutit of Fort Albany, Alvin Fiddler of Muskrat Dam and Goyce Kakegamic of Keywaywin were elected as deputy grand chiefs.
The deputy grand chief election was over after the first ballot. Fiddler led the way with 39 votes, Kakegamic finished second with 34 votes and Louttit was third with 24 votes.
In a lawsuit with implications for First Nations across Canada, two British Columbia bands say that students who attended residential schools without residing in the schools were scarred by their experiences despite being allowed to go home at night.
The Tk’emlups te Secwepemc Indian Band and Sechelt Indian Band filed a class-action lawsuit on Aug. 15, arguing that the language and culture loss they experienced during residential schools should be compensated.
New prescription drug abuse funding should enable nurses in remote communities to prescribe and administer Suboxone and other drugs aimed at weaning addicts off of prescription drugs, says Conservative MP Greg Rickford.
Rickford, MP for Kenora, told Wawatay News that federal funding of $1.5 million will be used in part to change the regulatory framework that limits what drugs nurses can prescribe in communities.
Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) Chief Donny Morris has been awarded a Diamond Jubilee Medal.
The medal was presented by Kenora MPP Sarah Campbell during the KI homecoming event on Aug. 8.
Campbell called Morris a “true leader,” and said the medal was a “small vindication” for the efforts Morris and other members of KI put in to oppose mining on the First Nation’s traditional territory.
From mining to education to language loss, the Treaty #3 youth executive council had a lot of ground to cover when it met with Ontario’s minister of Aboriginal Affairs.
By all accounts, both sides came away satisfied by the three-hour meeting.
“It’s good for her to get the youth point of view,” said Rayanna Seymour, a member of the youth executive council. “It’s really important that she got to hear us. We grew up with these issues, and now she’ll know more of the background behind what her job is all about.”
Harvey Yesno has been elected new Grand Chief of Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN).
Yesno won by one vote over Terry Waboose on the third ballot. Yesno received 22 votes to Waboose’s 21 votes.
In his victory speech, Yesno stressed the importance of unity amongst communities and chiefs.
“We need to be united,” Yesno said. “There’s no way to do it otherwise. We need all of you to stand together, so that our children will have something to look forward to in the future.”
Concerns that Ontario is planning to give a special ministerial exemption to Cliffs Natural Resources so that the American company can export raw ore from the Ring of Fire out of Canada were raised in the provincial legislature Aug. 28.
The MPP for Timmins-James Bay who brought up the issue was left scratching his head over Northern Development and Mines Minister Rick Bartolucci’s response.
A First Nations man has been found dead in Thunder Bay.
The 65-year-old, who's name has not been released, was found deceased in a field in Thunder Bay's intercity area.
Walkers came upon the body on Aug. 29 around 9:00 am.
Detectives are now awaiting the result of a post mortem to determine the cause of the death. The investigation is ongoing and investigators will be notifying the next of kin.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Thunder Bay Police Criminal Investigations Branch at 684-1237 or Crime Stoppers at 623-8477.
This past month, I was happy to attend two Pow Wows I hadn't been to in years. I attended the Mattagami First Nation Pow Wow and the Matachewan First Nation...
I was happy to see my home community of Attawapiskat on the James Bay coast announce the opening of the new St Francis Xavier Parish Church on August 25....